"Still, the swap — which Harvard and the club quietly negotiated over the past 10 weeks — doesn’t mollify all of the university’s Allston critics.

Local activist Harry Mattison said planners from both Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have long recommended a multi-story, mixed retail/residential development at the Lincoln Street site, not a one-story skating rink.

“A new skating club could be great, but we need to figure out how it’s going to fit into the neighborhood’s future,” he said. “It’s very hard to understand why Harvard often says one thing, then does something very different.”"

Harvard in 2009 - during the public review of the multistory Charlesview proposal - told us tall, dense buildings are great!

"Taller buildings could be built in the middle of the [Holton St Corridor] to provide more homes... The densities and land uses presented may not create enough value to support the amount of public infrastructure and open space represented in this alternative"

Harvard in 2011 - after making a deal with the Skating Club - loves one-story suburban sprawl!

“The Skating Club of Boston’s (plans) align with our long-term goal of enlivening this important space,” school Executive Vice President Katie Lapp said.